Jail lock system and equipment



Demo m 1935. H. J. RALSTQN EPW394337 JAIL LOCK SYSTEM AND EQUIPMEN'I Filed May 14, 1934; 4 Sheets-Sheet l lNVENTOR flJ/VZ/ J 67/5/00 WWW ATTO RN EY N O T S L A R 5% H JAIL LOCK SYSTEM AND EQUIPMENT Filed May 14, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 NQQ R M Lit]. f E mm Q R mm @H@ R INVENTOR Harry J. FJ/s/on ATTORNEY @6360 HQ 1935. H J. s N 249235 437 JAIL LOCK SYSTEM AND EQUIPMENT Filed May 14, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR .fiJ/Ty J. P5 5/0/7 BY W ATTORNEY mm m, 15. H. J. RALSTON JAIL LOCK SYSTEM AND EQUIPMENT Filed May 14, 1934 meets-Sheet 4 Patented Dec. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Harry J. Ralston, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to Pacific Electric Manufacturing Corporation,

San Francisco, Calif.

fornia a corporation of Cali- Application May 14, 1934, Serial No. 725,437

7 Claims.

This invention relates generally to systems and equipment for the locking of jail or prison doors, particularly where it is desired to control the locking and the release of the doors of a tier of cells by means of a master control mechanism. More specifically, the invention is an improvement in systems of the type disclosed in Patent No. 812,637, wherein three operating positions of the master control mechanism are aiforded; one in which the doors are deadlocked, a second in which the doors can be opened by a key, and a third in which all the doors are fully released.

It is an object of the invention to aiford simplified and improved means in a system of the above character, for co-operating with the bolts of the individual doors.

A further object of the invention is to provide removable closures to afiord access to certain parts of the master control mechanism, and to provide means whereby unauthorized removal of the closures or tampering with the mechanism is precluded.

A further object of the invention is to provide means which, in the event one or more of the doors are not properly closed, will serve to indicate such fact to an operator. One of the principal objections to remote locking control for hand operated swinging or sliding jail or prison cell doors is that a door may be left slightly ajar or fully open, so that when the keeper is moved to engage the lock bolt, the keeper, instead of passing in front of the bolt, passes behind it so that the door is actually looked open instead of closed. The objectionable feature is overcome in my invention by providing means which positively precludes movement of the master control mechanism to deadlock position, while one or more of the doors are not fully closed.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View, partly in cross-section, showing a tier of cells, the doors of which are provided with locking equipment and a master control mechanism therefor, in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational detail, partly in cross-section, illustrating principally one of the vertically movable keeper bars and its operating connection to the horizontal master control bar.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional detail taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional detail taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional detail taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a side-elevational detail, partly in 5 cross-section, showing mechanism for precluding movement of the master control bar to deadlock position while one or more. of the doors are improperly closed.

Fig. '7 is a cross-sectional detail taken along the line '!--'i of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional detail taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. l.

Fig. 9 is a detail, partly in cross-section, similar to Fig. 6 but showing an electrical switch and operating mechanism therefor, which serves to operate indicating or signalling means and which serves to indicate when the door is open.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional detail taken along the line Ill-40 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional detail taken along the line llll of Fig. 10.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a tier of cells H3 in a prison or jail, equipped with swinging and outwardly-opening doors ll. At a convenient location, such as at one end of the tier and in the jailers corridor, there is a cabinet I2 which serves to contain the master operating lever I3. Extending above the doors I I there is a housing I4 which serves to enclose certain operating parts, including the horizontal master control bar I6. Each of the doors is provided with a lock assembly I! which includes the usual tumblers to be operated by the jailers key. The vertical frame portions I 8 of the doors are provided with keeper bars which, as will be presently explained, are movable in a vertical direction by horizontal movement of the master control bar l6.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be noted that each of the lock assemblies I! is provided with a sliding bolt [9 which can be withdrawn by the jailers key. Disposed adjacent to bolt l9 there is a lug or bolt 2| which is fixed to the edge of the door. The thickness of lug 2|, as viewed vertically, is substantially the same as the thickness of bolt l9. Since lug 2| co-operates to secure a deadlocking of the door, it is hereafter V termed a deadlock bolt to distinguish it from the key lock bolt l9.

As shown more clearly in Fig. 5, the frame portion H] of each door can be conveniently formed of a pair of structural angles 22 and 23, one edge of the inner angle 22 serving as a door stop. Mounted upon the outer face of the angle 55 23 there is a guideway formed by a structural channel 24, which is retained in place by lugs 26. Slidably disposed within the channel 24 is a keeper bar 21. Mounted upon the lower end of the bar 2! there is a member 28 which serves as a keeper with respect to the bolts I9 and 2|. This keeper member is offset inwardly with respect to the bar 21, and its upper edge is preferably beveled, as indicated at 29 (Fig. 3). Structural angle 23 and channel 24 are cut away, as indicated at 3|, to permit the passage of bolts I 9 and 2| when the door is swung to closed position or to open position after being closed. As will be presently explained, the keeper member 28 cooperates with both of the bolts I9 and 2| for the different selective operating positions of the master control lever I3.

The upper end of each keeper bar 21 extends into the overhead housing (Fig. 2). To provide a simple operating connection to the master control bar I6, I provide an L-crank 32, which is carried upon a fixed pivot stud 33. One slotted arm 34 of this lever engages a pin 36 carried by the corresponding keeper bar 21. The other arm 31 is likewise slotted and engages a pin 38 fixed to the master control bar I6. Since all of the vertical keeper bars are likewise operatively connected to the master control bar I6, when the master control bar is moved horizontally all of the keeper bars are moved vertically in unison.

The operating connection between the master control bar I6 and the operating lever I3 can be of simple construction, such as illustrated in Fig. 1. Thus, lever I3 is shown pivotally carried by a stationary bracket 4 I, and an arm 42 extending upwardly from the lever has a pin and slot connection 43 with the control bar I6. Since it is desirable to release or look the lever I3 in difierent operating positions, it is shown provided with a spring-pressed detent 44, operated by the release handle 46. Detent 44 is adapted to engage in various notches provided in the segment 41. For convenience in making subsequent explanations, these notches have been numbered I, 2, and 3. The positions of the lever corresponding to the notches I, 2, and 3 can be termed deadlock, key lock, and full release positions.

In order to preclude unauthorized operation of lever I3, and particularly to prevent unauthorized movement of the lever to full release position, the cabinet I2 is shown provided with two separately locked doors 48 and 49. Fixed to the inner face of door 49 there is a lug 50 which normally extends into the path of movement of lever I3 to such an extent as to prevent movement of the lever to full release position. Upon opening of the lower door 49, lever I3 can be shifted between deadlock and key lock position. However, before movement to full release position can be made, door 49 must be opened in order to swing lug 50 to an out-of-the-way position.

Control bar I5 is provided with suitable guide means so that it can be shifted horizontally without undue friction. Thus, the end portion which extends into the cabinet I2 is shown accommodated by a yoke 5!, which is provided with upper and lower rollers 52. Likewise, the pivotal studs 33 for the lever 32 are shown provided with rollers 53, upon which the lower edge of the bar I6 may rest.

The mode of operation of the system as thus far described can now be briefly reviewed as follows:When control lever I3 is in an intermediate position, corresponding to notch 2, each of the keeper members 28 is in a position to engage only the corresponding key lock bolt I9, without engaging the corresponding deadlock bolt 2|. Such position of a keeper member has been illustrated in Fig. 3, in dotted lines immediately above the solid line position. Thus, at such time the doors will be retained closed only by the key lock bolt, and the individual doors can be opened by a key.

When the lever I3 is shifted to the position corresponding to notch I, all of the keepers 28 are moved to the uppermost position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. Each keeper member at this time is in front of its corresponding deadlock bolt 2|, to deadlock the door, thus making it impossible to open the door by a key or by unauthorized tampering with the key lock bolt I9. It will also be noted that the keeper member at this time extends downwardly below the upper edge of the key lock bolt I9, so that a lock is afiorded with respect to both of the bolts I9 and 2|.

When lever I 3 is shifted to the full release position represented by notch 3, eac hof the keeper members 28 is dropped down below both of the bolts I9 and 2|, thus permitting all of the doors to swing open.

It is desirable to afford access to certain parts within the housing I4 in order to facilitate maintenance, repairs, or the making of adjustments. Thus, the front side of the housing is shown provided with a plurality of spaced openings which are normally covered by the closure plates 55 and 51. Upon removal of closure plates 56 and 5'! access can be had to the levers 32 and associated parts. Removal of cover plates 5? affords access to other mechanism which may be enclosed within the housing I4, as will be presently explained.

In order to prevent unauthorized removal of the cover plates 56 and 51, an auxiliary master control mechanism is provided as follows:Extending horizontally within the housing I4 and adjacent the bar I 6 there is an auxiliary control bar 58. Fixed to the bar 58 at spaced intervals are the hook-shaped members 59. Mounted upon the inner faces of the closure plates 55 and 5'! are the apertured keeper lugs GI which are normally engaged by members 59. Thus, when bar 58 is in its left-hand limiting position, as viewed in Fig. 2, all of the closure plates 56 and 51 are securely locked to the housing. However, when bar 58 is moved to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, members 59 are retracted from the keepers 6|, so that all of the closure plates can be removed.

As shown in Fig. 1, it is convenient to extend the auxiliary bar 58 into the cabinet I2, where it is connected to an operating lever (not shown) similar to lever I3 but having only two operating positions. Suitable guide means can be provided for bar 58, as for example spaced upstanding guide plates 63 and 64 carried by fixed studs 66. Likewise, the bar can rest upon rollers 61 carried by the pivot studs 33.

When a jailer operates lever I3 to deadlock position it is evident that all of the doors should be fully closed, as otherwise certain of the doors will not be locked. In Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive I have shown means which will prevent movement of the lever I3 to deadlock position in the event any one of the doors is not fully closed, thus warning the jailer of the condition which exists. Thus, the hinge pin II of each door, which turns together with the door, extends upwardly into the housing I4. Fixed to the upper end of pin H there is an arm 12 which co-operates with a lever 13. Lever I3 is pivoted to pin 78 and is adapted to be engaged by a pin 14 carried by the free end of arm 12. A spring 16 serves to urge lever 13 in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 8. The free. end of lever 13 has a pin and slot connection 11 with a detent block 18. As suitable means for supporting block 18 to accommodate limited sliding movements, there is shown a bracket 19, carrying a pair of parallel studs 8! upon which the block is slidably disposed. Fixed to the master control bar Hi there is a lug 82 the lower end 83 of which extends down below the level of the upper surface of block 18.

The mechanism described with respect to Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive operates as fol1ows:--When a door is moved to open position, the initial opening movement is followed by lever 13 to cause block 18 to move rearwardly (as viewed in Fig. 8) against the bracket 19. The position of lug 82 shown in this figure corresponds to full release position of the operating lever [3. If, while one or more of the doors are open, the operator attempts to move lever l3 to deadlock position, lug 82 strikes block l8 thus precluding movement of lever l3 past the key lock position. When a door is moved to closed position, final closing movement is accompanied by rotation of lever it by virtue of engagement with the rotating pin 74. Thus, during final closing movement of a door, the block 18 is retracted to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 8, whereby a full travel of the control bar I6 and lugs 82 is permitted. If a door is open at the time an operator attempts to move lever l3 from full release position to deadlock position, operation to key lock position brings keeper member 28 in front of the key lock bolt l9, should this bolt be in the locked position, thus preventing an inmate from thereafter closing the door.

In place of the positive mechanical means described with respect to Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive, I can also equip each of the doors with electrical means for the purpose of signaling or indicating open position of a door. Thus, as shown in Figs. 9 to 11 inclusive, the upper end of hinge pin H is provided with a finger 8t and a lever 81, corresponding to the arm 12 and the lever 13, respectively, of Fig. 6. One end of arm 81 carries a roller 88, while the other end has a pivotal connection 39 to an associated bar 9|. Bar 9| fits fairly snugly about the upper end of hinge pin ll, while lever 81 has a corresponding opening of sufficient diameter to afford substantial clearance. A bolt 92, serving to rigidly clamp members 9i and 81 together, extends through a slot in the lever 81, thereby affording limited adjustment of the angularity between lever 81 and the hinge pin H. The lower end 93 of pin 89 extends into the path of movement of finger 86, so that during a final closing movement of the door, lever 8'! is rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 11, against the tension of spring 54. An electrical switch 96 is positioned within the housing and is provided with elements, such as the spring fingers 9'! and 98, which are adapted to be engaged by roller 88. An electrical indicating or signalling circuit is connected to each of the switches 95 for the several doors, and is so arranged that a master indicator or signal is operated when any one of the switches 96 is conditioned by an open position of a'door, or to provide separate selective indicators which direct attention to the open position of a particular door. Switches 96 may either have their contacts opened when the elements 91 and 98 are engaged by roller 83, or the contacts may be closed at such time and remain in open position when the doors are open, depending upon 5 whether a closed or an open electrical signalling system is desired. It is evident that such an electrical signalling or indicating system can be utilized in conjunction with the mechanical arrangement of Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive, so that, in ad- 10 dition to preventing movement of the operating lever I3 to deadlock position when any one door is open, a signal may apprise the operator of the particular door which is not closed.

I claim: 15

1. In a jail lock system for controlling the opening of a plurality of jail doors, a housing extending horizontally above a plurality of doors,

a master control bar slidably extending within said housing, a vertically disposed and slidable 20 keeper bar associated with each of said doors, said keeper bars co-opera-ting with bolts carried by the doors for locking the same, mechanisms connecting the upper end of each of said keeper bars with the master control bar whereby when 25 the master control bar is moved horizontally said keeper bars are moved vertically in unison, said housing being provided with openings to afford access to said mechanisms, closures for said openings, and means including a common control 30 member disposed within said housing for releasably locking said closures to the housing.

2. In a jail lock system for controlling the opening of a plurality of jail doors, a housing extending horizontally above a plurality of doors, 36 a master control bar slidably extending within said housing, a vertically disposed and slidable keeper bar associated with each of said doors, mechanism connecting the upper end of said keeper bars with the master control bar where- 40 by when the master control bar is moved longitudinally said keeper bars are moved vertically in unison, the housing being provided with openings to afford access to said mechanism, closures for said openings, a second control bar extend- 45 ing within said housing, and means released by sliding movement of said second control bar for looking all of said closures to the housing.

3. In a jail lock system for controlling the opening of a plurality of jail doors, a housing 50 extending horizontally above a plurality of doors,

a master control bar slidably extending within said housing, a vertically slidable keeper bar associated with each of said doors, the upper ends of said bars extending into said housing, levers 55 disposed within said housing and serving to operatively connect the upper ends of each of the keeper bars with the master control bar whereby when the master control bar is slid longitudinally of the housing said keeper bars are moved ver- 60 tically in unison, the housing being provided with openings adjacent each of said levers to afford access to the levers and to the upper ends of the keeper bars, closures for said openings, a second control bar slidably extending within said hous- 65 ing, keepers mounted upon the inner faces of said closures, and hook-like members carried by the second control bar adapted to engage said keepers and thereby lock the closures to the housing for one position of the second control bar. 70

4. In a jail lock system for controlling the looking and the releasing of a plurality of hinged jail doors, a vertically movable keeper bar carried by the frame of each of the doors, bolts carried by the free edges of said doors adapted to co-op- 75 erate with said keeper bars, a slidable master control bar extending horizontally above said doors, means serving to connect said master control bar with each of said keeper bars whereby when said master control bar is moved horizontally said keeper bars are moved vertically in unison, the co-operation between the keeper bars and the door bolts being such that for one position of the master control bar all of the doors are fully released and foranother position of the master control bar all of the doors are deadlocked, a plurality of detent members movably carried adjacent the master control bar, lugs carried by the master control bar and adapted to co-operate with said detent members, and means serving to operatively connect each detent member with an associated door whereby when each door is open its associated detent member is positioned in the path of movement of the corresponding lug, and when each door is fully closed the corresponding detent member is shifted to a position out of said path of movement, the positioning of said lugs being such that engagement with any one of said detent members prevents movement of the master control bar in one direction, whereby the master control bar cannot be shifted to a position to deadlock all of the doors.

5. In a jail lock system for controlling the opening and the locking of a plurality of hinged jail doors, a vertically movable keeper bar associated with the frame of each door, bolts carried by the doors and adapted to cooperate with the keeper bars, a master control bar slidably extending in a horizontal direction above the doors, means serving to operatively connect the master control bar with each of the vertical keeper bars, whereby upon movement of the master control bar all the keeper bars are moved vertically in unison, one position of the master control bar serving to position the keeper bars to fully release all the doors and another position serving to deadlock all the doors, and means serving to indicate an open position of any one of the doors to preclude an incomplete locking of all of the doors, said last means including an electric switch for each of the doors, switch operating mechanism serving to connect each switch to the hinge of its associated door, and a signalling circuit controlled by said switch.

6. In a jail lock system for controlling the opening and the locking of a plurality of hinged jail doors, a vertically movable keeper bar associated with the frame of each door, bolts carried by the doors and adapted to co-operate with said keeper bars, a master control bar slidably extending in a horizontal direction above the doors, means serving to operatively connect the master control bar with each of the vertical keeper bars, whereby upon movement of the master control bar all of the keeper bars are moved vertically in unison, the co-operation between said keeper bars and said doors being such that for one position of the master control bar all of the doors are fully released and for another position of the master control bar all of the doors are deadlocked, and means operatively connected with the hinges of each of the doors serving to preclude movement of said master control bar to said deadlock position except when all of said doors are fully closed, each of said last-named means being actuated by swinging movement of its associated door.

'7. In a jail lock system for controlling the opening and the locking of a plurality of hinged jail doors, a vertically movable keeper bar associated with the frame of each door, bolts carried by the doors and adapted to co-operate with said keeper bars, a master control bar slidably extending in a horizontal direction above the doors, means serving to operatively connect the master control bar with each of the vertical keeper bars, whereby upon movement of the master control bar all of the keeper bars are moved vertically in unison, the co-operation between said keeper bars and said doors being such that for one position of the master control bar all of the doors are fully released and for another position of the master control bar all of the doors are deadlocked, and means operatively connected with the hinges of each of the doors serving to preclude movement of said master control bar to said deadlock position except when all of said doors are fully closed, said last means including a movable element carried above each door, a pin extending upwardly from the hinge of each door and adapted to rotate when the door is swung, and a lost motion mechanism operatively connecting the upper end of the pin with said element, thereby causing said element to be moved in response to final closing movement of the corresponding door.

HARRY J. RALSTON. 

